Prohibited Items

Hello fellow CPF-ers.

I was looking at the USPS website but to no avail as to what items are prohibited. Anyone with experience care to share some knowledge on what items are not allowed to be shipped out of the US?

lithium primaries...
USPS states them as hazmat regardless of where you ship them to.

Regulations will vary from country to country. Try looking at the International Mail Manual that the USPS has online at:
http://pe.usps.gov/text/imm/welcome.htm
Some of the info can be kind of complex and you may want to consult someone at your local postal branch. Alternatively, USPS has an 800 number that you can call to get information on the countries that you want to send parcels to.

Sometimes you will encounter a product that's not legal to export out of the U.S., such as some CPUs and military equipment that's available to civilians. The "ACOG" rifle scope is not legal for export, nor is some of the night vision gear you can buy at Cabela's.

Back in the early 90s a college buddy of mine received taps at his door because he emailed an encrypted file to a recipient overseas. I believe it was PGP he used for encryption, which back then was illegal to export. He said he didn't realize that exporting the encrypted file was illegal, that he thought it was exporting the program itself was illegal. (At the time he may have been "watched" for illegal hacking-type activities. Yeah, he was that kinda guy.)

What are you trying to ship?

Your also not suppose to ship knives, although that hasn't stop me........

supes said:

Your also not suppose to ship knives, although that hasn't stop me........

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The only prohibition is on automatic knives.

I tried to ship a Benchmade Nimravus in a very padded box, and the counter person would not let me, had to go to another post office and not mention the specific item.

Freyth said:

Hello fellow CPF-ers.

I was looking at the USPS website but to no avail as to what items are prohibited. Anyone with experience care to share some knowledge on what items are not allowed to be shipped out of the US?

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The list keeps changing.... depending on how paranoid those in charge become.

I was at an upscale sporting goods store this afternoon. A man visiting NYC from Brazil bought a very expensive knife.... and was asking the salesman if he could bring it on board a plane that he had to catch soon. The salesman said that he himself would not take the chance since some of his friends had their Zippo lighters confiscated. Still, the man from Brazil said he'd "take a chance."

Yeah..... Knives, anything designed to create a flame, 123A batteries, anything resembling a weapon. That sort of thing. Liquids are okay, as long as they are factory sealed and easily identified. Mystery liquids are not.... Ever heard of the mom who had 2 large containers of her own breast milk she planned on using to feed her baby? Airport security couldn't make a positive I.D. on the liquid. So they made her drink her own breast milk until both of the large containers were empty!

I was referring more to getting it shipped to me, rather than bringing it back myself.

Wish to buy this: http://boseknives.com/images/tboseivryteardrop3.jpg

The handle is made of ivory. Heard somewhere that its illegal to ship it out of US?

Freyth said:

I was referring more to getting it shipped to me, rather than bringing it back myself.

Wish to buy this: http://boseknives.com/images/tboseivryteardrop3.jpg

The handle is made of ivory. Heard somewhere that its illegal to ship it out of US?

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Not only illegal to ship out of the U.S., but also illegal to import as well. If you got on a plane, went to another country, bought something there (legally), made out of ivory, came back to the U.S.; it would be confiscated from you at the airport.

Monocrom said:

The list keeps changing....



Yeah..... Knives, anything designed to create a flame, 123A batteries, anything resembling a weapon. That sort of thing. Liquids are okay, as long as they are factory sealed and easily identified. Mystery liquids are not.... Ever heard of the mom who had 2 large containers of her own breast milk she planned on using to feed her baby? Airport security couldn't make a positive I.D. on the liquid. So they made her drink her own breast milk until both of the large containers were empty!

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Just came back from vacation and had 2 8 ounce bottles of factory sealed orange juice taken. I was told you can take very small bottles of liquid, but it was a very small amount. :shrug:

Just checked here: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm#10 Beverages brought from home or purchased before reaching the security checkpoint in containers LARGER than 3 oz. are not permitted to be carried on.

FRANKVZ said:

Just came back from vacation and had 2, 8 ounce bottles of factory sealed orange juice taken. I was told you can take very small bottles of liquid, but it was a very small amount. :shrug:

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Either the rules changed again..... or a Screener was thirsty.

Monocrom said:

Not only illegal to ship out of the U.S., but also illegal to import as well. If you got on a plane, went to another country, bought something there (legally), made out of ivory, came back to the U.S.; it would be confiscated from you at the airport.

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International trade in ivory is regulated, but not always illegal. Often all one needs is a CITES import permit and corresponding export permit.

reptiles said:

International trade in ivory is regulated, but not always illegal. Often all one needs is a CITES import permit and corresponding export permit.

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Yes, but I think it requires a lot of paperwork and even so, it doesn't mean you'll be granted with this permit. Unless I'm mistaken.

Many things depend on who is working that day as a postal clerk. Most of them are not able to keep up to date on all the changing regulations, and most people have no idea as a shipper.

I don't know about this business of batteries not being able to be shipped overseas. I've bought a fair number of batteries (from lithiums to pilas etc) as well as batteries in flashlight packages, and have NEVER had any issues, including customs. These have all been from the US ???